Scribing calipers



Feb. 13, 1923.

W. D. LOWE.

SCRIBING CALIPERS.

ORIGINAL FILED FEB. 2. 192.1.

Patented Feb. l3, i923 lflthbiflit VTILLAI'LD D. LONE, 0F COLUI'IIBUS, OHIO.

SCRIBING CALEIPEES.

Application filed February 2, 1921, Serial No. 441,757.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

lie it kumvn that YVI'LLf-JID l3. Lo ii, a citizen of the United Sate-s, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State Ohio, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scribing Calipers, oil which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved scribing caliper, primarily adapted tor use by machinists and other metal workers for the purpose of enabling fine and careful measurements to be eilieeted with convenience, accuracy and facility and to enable the calipers to be readily adapted for the purpose of producing guide lines or the like upon desired surfaces from ruling edges situated inside or outside oi. the arms of the calipers. 7

Another object of tl e invention resir esin the provision of an instrument of the above character which consists of a pair of arms having adjoining ends pivotally connected in order that the lower ends thereof may be relatively separated for suitable distances, in providing the arms with means whereby the lower ends of the arms will normally be separated and to have their relatively spaced positions maintained by means of screw controlled mechanism, to form one of said arms with a scriber point, and to provide the other arm with a pivotally mounted guide foot, the latter being so arranged that it may be swung to assume oneofa plurality of positions, the arrangement thereof being such that when the foot is in one position the same will be adapted to cooperate with a ruling element or surface situated within the confines of the arms, and when situated in its other position to cooperate with a ruling or guide suriace positioned exteriorly of the arms, the arrangement making for convenience in operation and to enable ti 3 instrument to be under the convenient and facile control of the operator.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention accordingly consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part 01' this specification, and in which similar characters of reference denote like and coresponding parts throughout the several views thereof:

Renewed January 5, 1923.

p wly l llle J. 15 L lJQISlAX, 1V8 V1.6? 0 it pctll OI calipers constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention,

Figure 2 is a detail View disclosing calipers in a position for outside work,

Figure 3 is a similar view disclosing calipers in position for inside work,

Figure at is a detail view of the guide foot, and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the details of the invention, use is made of a pair of calipers 1 primarily adapted for measuring and scribing purposes, the same in this instance including a pair of pivotally connected arms, one of said arms being termed the scribing arm and indicated generally by the numeral 2, and the other or companion arm being termed the guide arm, and indicated generally by the numeral 3. These arms have their upper ends pivotally connected by means of the joint construction 4, and the extreme upper ends of the said arms are formed with projections 5, having notches therein'for the reception of the free ends of a spring 6, the latter being so dis posed that by the contraction of its ends the lower ends of the arms 2 and 3 will normally tend to separate or spread apart. To regulate the distance between the lower ends oi the arms 2 and 3, the arm 2 is provided with a pivoted apertured stud 7, which is adapted. to receive one end of an adjusting screw 8, the said screw being so disposed as to extend transversely of the arms and has its outer or free end pass through an aperture provided in apivoted stud 9 projecting from the guide arm 3. The tree end oi? the screw is provided with an adjusting nut 10, which may be moved into binding engagement with the stud 9 for the purpose of permitting of the contracting or expanding oi the arms 2 and 3 in accordance with the normal tension of the spring 6.

In order to render such instruments more readily adapted for various kinds of work, the lower end of the guide arm 3 is relatively bluntly terminated and is provided with a pivot pin 11 about which is pivotally mounted an adjustable crescent shaped guide foot 12. This member is pivoted intermediately of its length and by its formation guide fingers 18 and l t are produced. These fingers are capable of occupying active or inactive positions in accordaiue with the the the

relative positions which the calipers may assume with respect to a ruling edge, indicated generally by the numeral 15. For instance, as shown in Figure 2, if the finger 1% assumes its active position, the calipers may be used with the guide arm outside oi the confines oi? the ruling edge 15 and, conversely, in the event that the linger 13 is swung to assume an active position, as indicated in Figure 3, the calipers may be used to inscribe a mark with the arm 3 within the confines of the ruling edge 15. By this pivoted arrange ment, therefore, oi the foot it is possible for a machinist to readily adapt the calipers to the work to be performed, and the awkwardness of the average caliper o'l common construction is lost. In the old forms, the foot 12 is ordinarily fixed or integrally formed with the guide armand therefore the calipers are capable of being readily employed when the ruling edge 15 is properly situated with respectto the surface to be scored, but diiiiculty will be encountered in these old forms it the work to be secured is located on a side oi? the ruling edge upon whichthe stationary feet can not be readily placed. However, by the reversible foot construction of the calipers 1 this difiiculty is largely obviated and convenience in the handling of the instrument obtained. Also, by the screw construction 8 the instrument may be carefully, accurately yet expeditiously adjusted, and adjustments maintained, thus overcoming the diiiiculty involved in instruments where adjustments are maintained by mere frictional pressure between thearms. a

1i? desired the lingers 13 and 14 may be provided with burrs 16, which are capable of resiliently engaging with depressions 17 provided in the guide arm 3, in order that the said foot 12 may be maintained in any of its adjusted positions, or in certain constructions the burrs 16 may be omitted and the "friction pressure between the foot and the guide arm relied upon for the purpose of maintaining adjustments of the foot 12.

lVhatj is claimed is:

1. A'pair' of scribing calipers comprising a pair of arms having their upper ends pivotally connected, one of said arms being provided with a pointed scribing extremity, the

neeasso other oi said arms having its companion end relatively bluntly terminated, and the reversible foot pivotally connected to the blunt end of said arm and capable of assuming positions of adjustment admitting said guide loot to be adapted to contact with either the inner or outer surface of a ruling member.

2. A pair oi calipers comprising a scribing arm and a guide arm, a pivotal connection between the ends of said arms, spring means cooperative with said pivotal connection and normally tending to separate the free ends of said arms, an adjustment for regulating the distance between the free ends of said arms, the free end of the scribing arm being provided with a pointed extremity, and the free end of said guide arm being provided with a reversible guide :toot capable of adapting the instrument to contact with inside and outside ruling surfaces.

3. A pair of scribing calipers comprising a guide arm and a scribing arm, means for pivotally uniting the upper ends ot said arms and to maintain the free ends of said arms in set positions of adjustment, said scribing arm being formed to include a substantially pointed free extremity, and said guide arm being formed to include a substantially blunt lower or free extremity, and a substantially crescent shaped guide loot pivotally connected with said guide. arm extremity and capable of assuming positions adapting the instrument to contact with exterior and interior ruling surfaces.

i. A pair of calipers comprising a scribing arm and a guiding arm, means for pivotally connecting the upper ends or" said arms and to maintain the arms in relatively set positions of adjustment, a substantially crescent shaped guide foot pivotally carried by the lower end of the scribing arm, said guide toot including relatively spaced fingers, the latter being selectively capable of assuming active or inactive ositions,whereby the instrument may be adapted to contact with both exterior and interior ruling surfaces; and means for positively maintaining said guide foot in its fixed positions o1 adjustment.

In testimony whereof I airix my signature.

WILLARD D, LOWE. 

